Our History

Our story starts deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, right near the Louisiana border, in the small town of Paxton. It’s the kind of place where neighbors look out for each other, and clean drinking water comes from the Paxton Water Supply — a source the whole community depends on.

But that way of life was put at risk when the Texas Railroad Commission — which, oddly enough, has nothing to do with trains and everything to do with oil and gas — began the process to approve an oil and gas waste treatment facility just 1,200 feet from that water supply. That’s way too close for comfort, especially when our water and wetlands are on the line.

Photo of Paxton Water Supply tanks from access drive to waste disposal facility
View of the Paxton Water Supply tanks from the waste disposal facility access

The people of Paxton didn’t stay quiet. They spoke up. They stood together to protect their land, their water, and their families.

contamination at Waskom, TX facility
Photo courtesy of Center Light and Champion

Not too far away in Waskom, Texas—another close-knit town near the state line—residents were facing real contamination, not just the threat of it. The same company behind the Paxton site had another oil and gas waste facility there, and it was already polluting the community. The Texas Railroad Commission confirmed the contamination and denied the permit, but somehow, the operation is still going.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, in January 2025, residents of yet another East Texas community found out the “pond” being built near their homes and schools was actually going to be the largest solid waste treatment site in East Texas — 187 acres of oil and gas waste, right near schools, another shallow aquifer and wetland area, and (yep, you guessed it) near the Louisiana border.

Aerial photo of Elysian Fields facility site. Courtesy of Elysian Fields Environmental Defense Fund.

Enough was enough.

These three communities came together, united by Texas pride and a deep love for the land we call home. We petitioned the Texas Railroad Commission. We reached out to our lawmakers. We demanded action. But our voices weren’t heard. Our concerns were ignored.

That’s why we created Texas Legacy Defense — a group built by everyday Texans to fight for the rights of rural communities and landowners to clean water, safe land, and a future we can be proud to pass on. 

When the big voices don’t speak for us, we speak louder. We defend our towns, our families, and our Texas legacy.

Because out here, we don’t back down.
We stand up for what’s right — for our land, our water, and the generations of Texans still to come.

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